Why state testing is a joke.

courtesy of my blog: http://cjferrara.blogspot.com/

I recently developed a unique skill. I can solve a Rubik's cube. The Rubik's Cube was invented by Erno Rubik to be a challenge for his mathematics students. It was designed to be a test of spacial reasoning, knowledge of mathematics, and logical thinking. So one would believe that in order to solve it, I would go back to college, and study advanced mathematics, logic and spacial reasoning. I would train and study until I got to the genius level, then I would figure the puzzle out.

Neil DeGrasse Tyson, host of Nova ScienceNOW, and rocket scientist, notoriously stayed behind backstage at the Daily Show after an interview feverishly trying to use his genius brain to solve a Rubik's cube that was part of his swag. He can do that, because he's smarter than I'll ever be.

In fact, the puzzle could, conceivably, be presented as a test of genius level thinking. It could be given statewide, and be the standard for which college level mathematics is assessed. And the fact that I can do it could be evidence that I am a genius. Except for one thing.

I didn't figure it out. I cheated. I went to a website called http://www.rubikssolver.com/ , I downloaded youtube videos that instruct you how to work out the solution. I memorized a few algorhythms; patterns of turn this, then that, then this; in order to move the colors the right way. Knowing the end result, and how the puzzle will be assessed: on speed and accuracy, I learned how to pass the test. WITHOUT LEARNING ANYTHING ABOUT MATH. or logic. or special reasoning. I was given the solution, not taught.

So I passed, but I'm really no smarter than before.

The ELA state exam is simply this: Read a few passages, and write an answer to a question about it. Hypothetically, if a 7th or 8th grade student learns to read, comprehend what he's reading, learns to write, and write clearly and eloquently with effective grammer, the ELA state exam should be no problem. Problem, in districts like mine, the students can't read. They write like they speak, and they don't speak well. What should happen is that they get remedial reading to get up to level. They should be held back until they do, and the pressure should be on getting the students to read at level, not on whether or not you will lose your job if they can't pass a test that's beyond where they are.

Instead, teachers try to get the kids to pass this exam. They use the rubric for grading the ELA as a curriculum, and instruct the kids, not on how to write, but on how to write a successful ELA essay that earns them the maximum amount of points. The students who succeed, don't read any better than they did before or understand what they read, or write any better, or more eloquently, but they become incredibly skilled at passing this particular test. Just as I'm not a genius at math, just incredibly skilled at solving a Rubik's Cube.

In my particular school, easily half of the students should fail miserably every quarter. But they don't because to fail half of our students would get is cited by the state, lose us funding, have the school shut down, and we lose our jobs. So instead of doing what is educationally most sound for them, we forgo that and just try to get them through this year, catching up as much as we can.

That's why state exams are BS, and schools should be allowed to do their job rather than be placed in a position where they have to save their jobs.